Upon hearing this, the stepmother's face instantly turned angry, but remembering what her niece had just said, she held back her anger.
"Shut up. Who do you think you are? She's already married and has children. Are there no good men left in this whole county? If you keep acting like this, I'll have to send you back."
“Aunt, I, I have taken a liking to the second young master of the Fu family. I heard that Chen Xichun is just a country girl, and she is also said to bring bad luck to her father. I don’t know what the Fu family saw in her. She is always showing her face in public. She doesn’t have any of the virtues of a virtuous woman.”
My cousin was indignant and felt that my older cousin was no longer willing to help her now that she was married, so she deliberately glared at her.
"Hmph, Mother, she's only saying this to us. If word gets out, not only will the Li family lose face, but our Lu family will also be criticized. Openly ruining someone else's marriage is not a good reputation."
Seeing her stepmother's state, Lu Qiuqin decided not to stay any longer and went directly to Lord Lu's courtyard. When the servants saw her coming, they hurried to inform Lord Lu.
"Qiuqin, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so angry? My son-in-law said you're pregnant. Don't harm your health." Lord Lu said patiently as he saw her come in.
"Dad, you must give Mother and her niece a good talking-to. Some things, whether they were done or not, will bring shame to our family if others hear about them. We're going back now, we won't eat."
These words surprised both Lord Lu and Fu Changjin. However, judging from her expression, Lord Lu guessed that it was probably not a good idea to say this in front of his son-in-law. He could only see them out first and then go and inquire with someone.
Hearing her sister-in-law say this, Xichun finally understood that the young lady had indeed deliberately targeted her that day, but she hadn't really thought of this aspect.
"Sister-in-law, don't be angry. This isn't something she can accomplish on her own. You need to think about the baby in your belly. It's up to Lord Lu to handle this." Seeing that she was still so angry after she finished speaking, Xichun couldn't help but advise her.
"I'm just angry. How come my stepmother always acts like the matriarch of the household, teaching everyone to be well-behaved, but the people she raised are like this? She even dares to try to take advantage of you. She even dares to talk to you like that. Doesn't she know whether she's worthy of it?"
"Sigh, every family has its own troubles. If my dad hadn't sent her away this time, I would never have wanted to go back. I'd just have to suffer some more. You should also remind your uncle not to let her scheme against him. She's the kind of person who can't do anything worthwhile, but she's got a ton of tricks up her sleeve. If it weren't for my dad's kindness to me before, I'm afraid even I would have been schemed against by her."
"Okay, I'll be careful." After teasing Ah Zhao for a while, the sister-in-law went back into the house.
"I heard that my sister-in-law didn't look well just now. What happened? Why did you two talk for so long?" Fu Changfeng went to the study to read after hearing that his sister-in-law had come over, and only came in after she left.
"It's all because of you that someone has taken a liking to you and personally told your sister-in-law that they want to be your wife," Xichun said irritably when she saw him like this.
"What wife? Aren't you my wife? Is there something I did wrong? I've thought about it carefully, and I haven't spoken to any other girl. My wife, you can't wrong me." Fu Changfeng looked at him innocently while holding A Zhao.
"Pfft, you didn't do anything, but you're just outstanding. Those girls took a liking to you after just one glance from afar." Xi Chun wasn't angry with him at all. She knew what kind of person Fu Changfeng was, so she naturally didn't hold a grudge against him.
"It seems I need to be more careful in the future. I must not let those girls see me, otherwise my wife will worry again. From now on, you will take care of external affairs and I will take care of internal affairs. I will be a husband who never leaves the house."
"Come on, stop talking nonsense. You need to watch yourself. Don't let anyone dare to provoke me again, or I'll punish you."
"I will obey my wife's orders. From now on, I will be a shy young lady. But I will also be wary of who you are talking about." Fu Changfeng said seriously after seeing Xichun being amused.
"She is the niece of Lord Lu's wife. She came to our house when A-Zhao was a month old. She said some unpleasant things that day. I only found out today why."
"So the saying that a virtuous wife brings less trouble to her husband is very true. It's not a big deal if such a person offends us little people, but if he offends the family of his superiors, then it can be a big or small matter. In the future, with you managing the inner quarters for me, my wife, we will definitely not see a situation like the Lu family's."
When Fu Changfeng heard that it was the Lu family, his expression darkened, and he began to question Lord Lu's ability to manage the household. Lord Lu's public image was undoubtedly praised, but this incident revealed the mess within the family.
"My sister-in-law has already spoken to Lord Lu, and we should know the outcome soon. We don't need to worry about it. For my sister-in-law's sake, let's just pretend we don't know anything about this."
Xi Chun thought about it for a moment before offering some advice, and the two of them stopped taking the matter to heart. However, a few days later, Xi Chun learned about the progress of the matter.
Lord Lu was initially puzzled, but after asking Madam Lu in the backyard, he learned the truth.
"He's just a scholar, no matter how young he is. The provincial examination isn't something you can pass just because you're young. Do you think it's beneath him to be with my niece? I think that just because Qiuqin doesn't want to talk about it doesn't mean that the second young master of the Fu family doesn't agree. If we give him or his parents a heads-up, maybe they'll be eager to come up with a plan."
"Do you really want to grant your niece's wish and make me, the county magistrate, break up someone else's marriage?" Lord Lu originally wanted her to send the girl back to her parents to be raised, so as not to disgrace the Lu family. Who would have thought that even his wife was so clueless? He became even angrier.
"Of course, there's no need for my husband to intervene. I'll have someone speak to his family. I think our family's reputation as a county magistrate is much greater than that of their merchants. Besides, with your help, if both of our sons-in-law are successful and pass the imperial examinations, our family's career path will be much broader, and your sons will have two brothers-in-law to help them out."
Madam Lu wasn't stupid; she was paving the way for her son's future. By raising this niece by her side, she would become closer to her and be able to help her without being treated like an outsider.
*Slap!* A slap landed on Madam Lu's face. Madam Lu was clearly caught off guard, her eyes filled with disbelief. She touched the spot where she had been hit, her face instantly turning red, partly from the slap, but more so from shame and indignation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
